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Remember: Google was a search engine, and Amazon was a book store. Facebook doesn't have to stay a social network, and there are plenty of things they can do wi

by mkr-hn 15y ago

Remember: Google was a search engine, and Amazon was a book store. Facebook doesn't have to stay a social network, and there are plenty of things they can do with their resources. There's a lot you can do once you have a global network of users assembled.

mrmrmister 15y ago
I was told, in 1996, that Amazon's plan was to become Wal-mart on the Internet; selling absolutely everything, and doing so at high volume. They were a bookstore, but their pitch deck described Acts 2 and 3.
moheeb 15y ago
Like what? Chat and games are excluded, as Facebook was doing that before having a global network of users assembled.
- mkr-hn 15y ago
  I'm talking about the infrastructure that brings those users together, not the users themselves. They could start an AWS competitor, or anything they want.
  - moheeb 15y ago
    In that case they could have done all that before having the "global network of users assembled".
    - mkr-hn 15y ago
      Ignore that part if it helps you focus on the point.
RuggeroAltair 15y ago
Sure, although, there is one thing that bothers me, Facebook reaches so many people so quickly that even reasonably big companies now use a Facebook page instead of a website. There is something intrinsically wrong with this, because Facebook cannot (hopefully) become a synonym of internet. I'm cool with iPad apps, with iPhone apps and Android apps, but stopping using websites and just focus on Facebook apps seems to be a false step, maybe good for now, but not very envisioning. Unless... ...unless Facebook starts mutating towards an actual product. To be clear like the blackberry with the old blackberry chat, you'll buy one (of the many) Facebook things, like a Facebook pad, and you'll have your Facebook OS with all the Facebook apps running on it. And I think this is the direction they are headed to... but still, they can't take down the house (the whole world), sooner or later something else will need to put some checks and balances. They can't become infinitely rich, I don't think the market and the planet will allow it. They can be a little dominant, but not like emperor dominant. Plus, it's still a website based on participation, if the people get bored or there is some wikileaks kinda breach (think of some crazy attempt to make public all the private messages and pictures on a mirror evil site), many many users could leave is a second... (although ultimately we are just going to be forced to redefine what we consider privacy, in general, not just in this unlikely case)

by mkr-hn 15y ago

mrmrmister 15y ago

I was told, in 1996, that Amazon's plan was to become Wal-mart on the Internet; selling absolutely everything, and doing so at high volume. They were a bookstore, but their pitch deck described Acts 2 and 3.

moheeb 15y ago

Like what? Chat and games are excluded, as Facebook was doing that before having a global network of users assembled.

mkr-hn 15y ago
I'm talking about the infrastructure that brings those users together, not the users themselves. They could start an AWS competitor, or anything they want.
- moheeb 15y ago
  In that case they could have done all that before having the "global network of users assembled".
  - mkr-hn 15y ago
    Ignore that part if it helps you focus on the point.

RuggeroAltair 15y ago

Sure, although, there is one thing that bothers me, Facebook reaches so many people so quickly that even reasonably big companies now use a Facebook page instead of a website. There is something intrinsically wrong with this, because Facebook cannot (hopefully) become a synonym of internet. I'm cool with iPad apps, with iPhone apps and Android apps, but stopping using websites and just focus on Facebook apps seems to be a false step, maybe good for now, but not very envisioning. Unless... ...unless Facebook starts mutating towards an actual product. To be clear like the blackberry with the old blackberry chat, you'll buy one (of the many) Facebook things, like a Facebook pad, and you'll have your Facebook OS with all the Facebook apps running on it. And I think this is the direction they are headed to... but still, they can't take down the house (the whole world), sooner or later something else will need to put some checks and balances. They can't become infinitely rich, I don't think the market and the planet will allow it. They can be a little dominant, but not like emperor dominant. Plus, it's still a website based on participation, if the people get bored or there is some wikileaks kinda breach (think of some crazy attempt to make public all the private messages and pictures on a mirror evil site), many many users could leave is a second... (although ultimately we are just going to be forced to redefine what we consider privacy, in general, not just in this unlikely case)